All That Glitters
by Soubrettina
Summary: A year or two post-movie, Anna's cousin Rapunzel and Eugene come to Arendelle for Anna's wedding, with their five-month old twins, and Elsa accidentally interrupts Eugene taking care of his small son.


"Look," Eugene said, shifting Lexi to look forward. "Stars! Yes, that's right, you like that, don't you? Happy boy now?"

Actually Lexi had been happy since Eugene pick him up from his crib- happy and wanting to talk, now that he was wide awake. Not a problem but that if he'd kept taking he would have woken Alice, who hated getting woken and would have woken up Rapunzel (who was very patient all through the journey to Arendelle but put toothpaste on her hairbrush this evening and, when she picked up Alice this afternoon, to find that Alice had kicked one leg out of her swaddling, she not only said "Rats, I've dropped her other leg somewhere," but followed it with: "I'll have to go downstairs and find it now!")

As Eugene had hoped, Lexi was- as he had been before- thrilled at the stars- he thrust out a hand to at the sky- all Eugene had to do was to hold onto him to keep him from leaping out of his knitted shawl and into infinite space (or actually over the edge of the balcony. Whatever, he wasn't going) as he struggled for the sky, gurgling with frustration.

"I know, son, I know," Eugene said, stroking his hair. "I'd give you them if I could." After kissing Lexi's head, he clarified: "well, maybe not until you wouldn't put them in your mouth. Yes, you. That wouldn't be good, would it? No, I don't think so…"

Lexi gave him a look of intrigued amusement- shockingly beautiful, and it was one of those moments that was completely worth seeming to be never fully awake or asleep for almost half a year now, every conversation- which was most of them- he'd had with Rapunzel where one or both of them forlornly tried to remember what they'd come into a room for- eternity and yet not possibly enough time for him to be this enormous- how _did _this ever happen?

Best to hold him now, while it was still this easy.

"_I go out with my lantern,_

_And my lantern goes out with me_

_Above the stars are shining_

_And we're all-"_

The latch of the glass doors squeaked and the following voice that said:

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" was almost simultaneous.

"Don't be… your majesty," he said, for if the low whisper hadn't been familiar the iridescent column of blue in the doorway was unmistakable. "It's your house."

She flows onto the balcony, so smooth it seems entirely coincidence that she stays a little further away than natural.

"I thought I would be alone a few minutes out here… I didn't wake up your little…" she squints at the colour of the shawl- "boy?"

"He was awake anyway. He likes nights."

"I'm sure it's not easy when he can't sleep all night."

"He can. He just won't. He was very laid-back when he was born- at least compared to his sister he was. It's just recently that every time he can't see someone he knows he assumes he's been abandoned forever and starts howling."

"Funny things that they think."

Eugene held Lexi a bit tighter.

"Can understand him crying about it."

"He looks happy now, though."

He does. He's giving the Queen a smile that looks almost too big to fit on his face- strangely familiar but for having no teeth. It's very cute- at least until the queen moves closer, when he gives Eugene a kick in the chest in an attempt to lunge straight at Queen Elsa, which would be charming but honestly-

"Lexi, please- no, let go- come on, work with Papa- you can't have _that_, they don't work that way-" It's a conundrum- because if he starts trying to unwind his son's tiny fingers from what they just grabbed, that might qualify as a diplomatic incident- "I'm sorry, your majesty, would you mind helping?"

"I don't want to hurt him…"

"Don't worry about that. I'm sure you wouldn't, it's just…"

"No, I understand. He's at that age."

"Oh, I don't think he's grabbing _that_ as such. It's your dress. Right now anything that glitters or sparkles is his. I don't know why he's suddenly started doing this. It's like he's part magpie…"

"Oh! Sparkles?" Queen Elsa smiled, and opened her hand to reveal a tiny mobile of whirling snowflakes. Accordingly, Lexi let go of her breast at once, the sparkling corset completely forgotten. "I used to do something like this for my little sister, years ago."

"You must have been a fun sister to have."

"I think I was, when I was there." The smile turned a little tight, then recovered. "I'll be a very unusual aunt. It's a shame the sky's not… I mean, it's the wrong season for the Northern Lights. He'd love that."

"He'll have more chances."

"Just wait for the wedding tomorrow. I think this boy might have a very good time."

"Planning something?"

"It's my sister's wedding, of course I'm planning something. Got to have a day to remember."

The snowflakes popped, which made Lexi giggle.

Eugene hoped he'd be awake enough to be able to help the twins remember.

He hoped he'd be awake enough remember.

He also hoped he'd remember for long enough to… well, how old would Lexi (Prince Alexander Leopold Maximilian Fitzherbert of Corona, actually) be before it was worth teasing him about groping the Ice Queen of Arendelle?

Still, he'd liked the magic, and so the Queen obviously liked him. Of course she did- who wouldn't love that smile? Charm- just something the boy was born with.


End file.
